FRESNO, Calif. – Wolf Pack forward Devonte Elliott did his best Dario Hunt impression Saturday night when Nevada took on Fresno State at the Save Mart Center.

Elliott, the 6-foot-10, 220-pounder, had a career-best four blocks and spearheaded a stingy defensive effort for Nevada, which notched a 68-61 win over the Bulldogs.

The junior also chipped in seven points and grabbed four rebounds. Elliott had gone four straight games without a block, but his presence inside was a key to the victory Saturday. It was reminiscent of Hunt, the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots.

“I thought his activity inside was very important,” Wolf Pack coach David Carter said. “He got his hands on a lot of balls. He was able to block some shots, which is important for our defense.”

Elliott has struggled with consistency during his three-year Wolf Pack career, but he’s turned in three straight strong efforts off the bench. Elliott had a 12-point game against Air Force, followed by a 7-point, 11-rebound night versus Wyoming prior to this game.

“It’s just a confidence thing really,” Elliott said of his improved play.

Elliott has been more aggressive in recent games, attempting 20 shots in the past three contests. His teammates said Elliott looks more comfortable on the court and in his role.

“He’s playing with confidence, he’s playing with energy,” guard Malik Story said. “He’s not worried out there. He’s getting more comfortable as the season’s gone on. When he plays like that, he’s a great player and he helps us a lot.”

Elliott’s layup with 1 minute, 11 seconds left put Nevada up 61-54 and all but ended the game.

“We knew we had to finish the game,” Elliott said. “In the past couple of games we knew we didn’t finish it strong. We knew we had to keep grinding and finish the game.”

FIVE ASSISTS AGAIN

For the second straight game, the Wolf Pack mustered just five assists.

Carter said part of the reason for that low figure was the fact his team was active driving to the basket and getting fouled. Nevada made just 17 field goals but attempted 37 free throws.

“We drove the ball more,” Carter said of the low assist total. “When we’re driving we didn’t create a lot of assists. I think Fresno did a good job of chasing us around, so we really were focusing on finishing inside with Deonte (Burton)and Malik (Story) and getting some easy ones.”

The Wolf Pack had averaged just 52 points per game in its previous three contests. While Nevada scored 68 against Fresno State, the Wolf Pack shot just 37.8 percent from the field.

“Is the offense back on track?” Carter said. “It’s just one game. You have to put good offensive performances back-to-back and then I can say it’s back on track. But this is just one game.”

MORE ACTIVE ON THE BOARDS

The Wolf Pack didn’t have much success on the backboard in the first half but was more aggressive in the second.

In the first half, Nevada was out-rebounded 20-13 and didn’t have a single offensive rebound against Fresno State, which is one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the nation.

In the second half, Nevada had a 19-18 edge on the boards and had five offensive rebounds. Jerry Evans Jr. led the team with 11 rebounds, including three on offense.

“We didn’t go to the boards in the first half,” Carter said. “Jerry, Devonte, (Jordan) Burris, they were just watching shots in the first half. Even though we were up by one at halftime, I thought we could have had some more opportunities. In the second half, we got more aggressive on the boards.”

LAYUPS

The Wolf Pack improved to 50-37 all-time against Fresno State. … Story tied Terrance Green for second on Nevada’s all-time 3-point makes list with 209. Marcelus Kemp is first with 227. … Nevada improved to 2-5 on the road. … The Wolf Pack is 9-2 when leading or tied at halftime. … Forward Ali Fall played seven minutes after not playing in the previous four games. He had one rebound and one assist. … Nevada’s next game is Wednesday at home against No. 14/15 San Diego State.

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.